Woodlanders Pre-School

Beech woodland, supervised tool use and a morning outdoors give Woodlanders Pre-School a clear character. Its Forest School programme combines exploration in the gardens with sessions at Druid’s Wood near Ashburton, where children can investigate wildlife, explore the natural environment and learn how to handle tools safely. Outdoor learning has substance here. It involves more than taking indoor activities outside.

Woodlanders provides care for children aged nine months to five years on Woodland Road, Ashburton, and has capacity for 45 children. It is an independent charity, with profits reinvested in the children and families it supports. At its April 2023 inspection, Ofsted judged the provision Good and safeguarding effective. That judgement belongs to that visit, while the current offer includes younger children than the age group attending then.

Families can combine a standard pre-school day with Early Birds or Fun Club, and holiday club is for children who attend the term-time sessions. The practical appeal is that care can extend beyond the core day, while the educational offer retains a strong emphasis on play, language and outdoor exploration.

Rooms and Ages

Willows is labelled for children from nine months to two years, with a separate space for under-twos, a dedicated sleeping area and a mixture of adult-guided activities and play chosen by the children themselves. Keeping familiar staff across sessions gives younger children continuity, while the separate area lets them watch older children nearby without sharing all their activity space.

Oaks is labelled for ages three to five, with children moving there in the term following their third birthday; decision-making, creative thinking and balancing risks with boundaries prepare them for greater independence, while parents help plan the transition to primary school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage frames learning and development through play, communication and exploration. Famly, the online learning journal, connects photographs, observations and assessments with that framework, helping parents understand how a seemingly small moment relates to a child's development. Families can contribute their own photographs and comments too, so the journal can connect experiences at home with those in the setting.

In April 2023, children weighed sunflower seeds, drew plant growth and incubated duck eggs, making mathematics and life cycles tangible. Weekly French introduced another language and ways of life; books, pictures, Ramadan and Lunar New Year prompted cultural discussion. Visiting parents described veterinary work and building for children to explore through role play, while toy babies and a pretend kitchen supported social play.

French and yoga are also part of the current specialist-session offer.

Outdoor and Community Life

Forest School is an outdoor learning programme involving physical exploration, wildlife observation and supervised practical skills. At Druid’s Wood, a mature beech woodland, activities include working with tools, establishing bird-feeding points and investigating plants and animals. Small-fire activities introduce fire lighting and camp cooking. The combination brings movement, concentration and practical judgement into the same experience.

Sessions run from 9.30am to 2pm on most Wednesdays during the academic year. Participation is for pre-school children using their full funded entitlement or attending for equivalent hours. On woodland days, children must be at Woodlanders by 9am for the minibus, which leaves before 9.15am; Woods Brothers of Buckfastleigh provides the transport, with car seats supplied.

The kit requirements match the outdoor commitment: covered arms and legs, suitable footwear and spare clothes, with waterproofs and wellies for wet conditions. The children spend the whole morning outside. Families therefore need to treat clothing as part of participation, rather than an occasional extra.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with two visits: half an hour with a parent or carer, then an hour for the child alone, with photographs shared through Famly. Families meet their key person, their main contact for the child's development.

Famly emails parents when observations are added, and other carers can join the profile. Families can share home experiences as well as receive updates.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Coordinator supports conversations about development, including speech, language and behaviour; the team also has designated safeguarding roles, and all practitioners have paediatric first-aid training. At the April 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that children with SEND progressed well, with support from the coordinator and staff use of signing to help younger children communicate. These are dated findings about the support in practice, alongside the current routes through which parents can raise concerns.

Children can attend before they are toilet trained, and staff support the later transition. Families send nappies, wipes and spare clothes, while the sleeping area in Willows gives younger children somewhere to rest. Support extends to practical family needs: Woodlanders can lend waterproof clothing and wellies, help with food and direct families towards other services.

Moving on to school involves work with parents in Oaks. In April 2023, links with local primary schools supported children's transitions. This is preparation for change, rather than a reason to assume a particular school destination.

Sessions and Attendance

The standard day runs from 9.15am to 3.15pm, Monday to Friday. Early Birds covers 8am to 9.15am on those days, while Fun Club runs from 3.15pm to 5.15pm, Monday to Thursday. Friday therefore has a different finishing pattern from the other weekdays.

Bookings require at least two days each week, with set sessions booked for a full term. Changes can be made at half-term, subject to availability. This suits families able to commit to a repeating pattern; it is less adaptable to working hours that change from week to week.

Holiday club operates from 8am to 4pm, Monday to Thursday, during most school holidays, for registered children who normally attend term-time sessions. It combines planned activities with time for children to choose their own play. Enquiries go through the administrator by email or telephone, and registration uses an electronic form.

Funding and Paid Extras

Woodlanders accepts 15 and 30 hour funding. Hours can be used across 38 weeks or stretched to include holiday club, and funding can cover Early Birds and Fun Club. Private childcare is also offered; tax-free childcare and childcare voucher payments are accepted.

The charity requests voluntary donations to support provision, including snacks and enrichment such as Forest School, yoga, the Summer Production and Nativity Play. These donations are voluntary. Families can review the booking and charge structure on the session times and prices page.

Morning snacks are supplied, but parents provide lunch, including during funded attendance; Woodlanders publishes a no-nuts policy and offers milk or water with food. Families also provide nappies, wipes and sun cream, so these supplies remain part of the practical cost and preparation for attendance.

Getting There

The address is Woodland Road, Ashburton, TQ13 7DR. Woodlanders has no car park, which makes the collection plan worth considering alongside the different weekday finishing times.

• Older children's next steps. In April 2023, activities did not consistently stretch older children far enough, adults missed chances for children to serve themselves at meals, and communication with other settings needed development. A visit is an opportunity to discuss how challenge, independence and shared-setting communication work now.
• Forest School participation. Access depends on full funded entitlement or equivalent attendance, and woodland days require a 9am sign-in and suitable outdoor kit. Consider whether that pattern fits your child's attendance and your family's morning arrangements.
• Room progression and booking commitment. Willows and Oaks have different age labels, while the move to Oaks follows the third birthday and bookings require two days weekly for a term. Ask how two-year-olds are grouped and how that arrangement fits the sessions you intend to book.
• Food and allergies. Lunch comes from home, and the nursery has a no-nuts policy. Families managing allergies should confirm current practice, including food used during woodland activities, before agreeing arrangements.

Woodlanders suits families seeking a standard pre-school day, an earlier start through Early Birds or an afternoon extension through Fun Club. Druid’s Wood gives outdoor learning a substantial setting, while Famly keeps families involved.

Term-long bookings and the Friday finish need to fit family routines. The April 2023 findings on older children's challenge, independence and communication across settings deserve discussion alongside that outdoor appeal.